If the rumor is true, the acquisition would make Activision even more of an untoppleable colossus than it already is. Not only would it own World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto, it would bring their talent along for the ride.

The problem here, frankly, is that Activision is by-and-large an exploitative game publisher. Look how they ran the Guitar Hero franchise into the ground: they simply bled it dry. All signs point to Activision being in the process of doing the same thing with the Call of Duty franchise. It’s the equivalent of overfishing.

Forgive me, then, if I react with horror at the prospect of Bobby Kotick owning the Bioshock franchise, or Grand Theft Auto, and suddenly demanding that these series produce new titles with the same regularity as other Activision franchises.

For now, though, this is just a rumor… and there’s always the chance that Activision would choose to handle any Take Two studios it did absorb more in line with the way they handle Blizzard: with free reign. Here’s hoping.